


Lotus

by K_t



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, F/M, Good Uchiha Obito, M/M, Multi, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, not your usual time travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 09:33:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19742944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_t/pseuds/K_t
Summary: Naruto gets thrown into the past. Of course Obito Uchiha is the only other one who remembers.





	1. I

Somewhere north in Fire Country, was a clearing surrounded by dense green forest. The shade from the trees does little to help the hot summers sun. 

In the centre of the clearing lay an unconscious man. His hair was a bright blonde that could rival the sun currently beating down on him. His hair gently swayed with the wind and a small hare was investigating his foot. 

His clothes were torn and ragged and a dull gray sat under his eyes. He seemed at peace with the steady rise and fall of his chest.

It didn't last for long. Out of nowhere the man let out a piercing, shrill scream that had birds flying away and animals noiselessly running for safety. The man clutched his head in agony looking close to passing out again. His screams slowly died down into desperate whimpers for the pain to stop. The blonde seemed to be mumbling something incoherent and screamed out again. 

If you listened hard enough you could make out some words like 'Kurama' or 'what the?' , 'where.. Kaguya'. He seemed to finally gain his bearings and sat up straight. He looked around the eerily quite clearing, his screaming no doubt must have scared everything away. He stood up on wobbly feet clenching his teeth in pain. He stretched his body out, his limbs feeling like they hadn't been used in years. He looked around again and sighed. 

"Come on Naruto, remember, what the hell's going on?" The newly dubbed Naruto muttered under his breath. He stilled for a moment and concentrated. His breathing calmed when all of a sudden he cried out in pain again. He concentrated again but this time to suppress the memories. He deducted that the pain came with remembering so he wouldn't try again until he knew where he was. He shook his head and walked in a random direction, hoping to Kami he would find somewhere before the sun went down. 

Looking up he saw that the sun was in the middle of the sky which meant it was probably around midday. Probably why it was so hot he thought sourly to himself wiping the sweat off the back of his neck. 

He was walking for a couple of hours when he came across a dirt road. He smiled in victory. Knowing it would have to lead to people eventually. He walked with more of a skip in his step, something good finally happening. As he was walking down the dirt path he noticed something strange. He didn't recognise anything at all. He was almost sure this was fire country and he knew the forests like the back of his hand. He had to know them, the best hiding spots, the easiest escape routes... he frowned. Why did he have to escape?

A sharp pain erupted in his head and he cursed himself trying to think of something different. He sighed. Today was strange. More than strange to be honest but all he can do is go with the flow and hope he's somewhere near Konoha, his home village. Something about Konoha brought a bad feeling to him that he couldn't seem to shake. 

Luckily a deep rumbling whale sound, that usually only happened in a quiet room full of people, could be heard and he concluded that he was hungry. He checked his kunai pouch located on his thigh and found two sharp kunai and about five dull ones. He debated whether to hunt or wait until he reached a town, to eat. Looking up he guessed it was around 4pm judging by the sun. 

He'd keep going until 10pm and if he was still on the path he'd set up camp and hunt. He groaned at the thought of walking six hours on an empty stomach. He'd kill for some ramen right now... Amidst his ramen fantasies he saw smoke at the corner of his eye. His face lit up. Smoke meant people. Possibly thieves. Most likely not ninjas to do something as dumb as let everyone know where they were by the smoke. But probably a small town judging by the fact it was near the path. He picked up his pace the prospect of food pushing him to go faster, and then, over the hill a small town came into view. He was proud of his deductive skills. He slowed down to a walk and looked around the streets. He got a few looks, probably because his clothes were in tatters and he looked like he'd been dragged through hell. He also looked like he didn't know what sleep was. 

The smells from the different restaurants made his mouth water. But first sleep. He was absolutely wreaked. This day was physically and mentally draining and he couldn't even know why he was here without his head exploding. He saw the sign for an inn and headed inside. There was a young woman by the desk reading and looked at him wearily when she heard the bell by the door ring. 

"Hi!" He smiled at her and could tell by the look on her face she was taken aback by his friendly personality. 

"Uh hi." She knew it probably wasn't very good for business to be so weary of her customers but this guy looked sketchy. Her dry tone didn't seem to put a damper on his smile though. 

"Can I get a single room for one night please?" He questioned smile still not falling. She looked him up and down and turned around towards the keys kept on the back wall behind some glass. Naruto then realised something very important. 

When she turned back around she raised an eyebrow at his sheepish expression. "Um I just realised I may or may not uh haveanymoney" he scratched the back of his head after saying the last part fast. She had an unimpressed look on her face and her eyebrow raised higher. 

He quickly waved his hand and stammered out he could work for his room. And that is how Naruto found himself chopping wood at the back of the building, the first thing on that woman's, whose name was Kirin, ridiculously long list. Of course when she wrote it out it was meant to deter him from staying and she was quite surprised when he actually agreed. 

He got into a rhythm with the axe. He could always do it all in seconds with a wind jutsu but he wasn't sure how accepting this place was of ninjas. Heh this reminded him of the D-rank missions he and his team used to do. He smiled, team 7... Kami he missed them. He missed his sensei Kakashi and his lame excuses, he missed his teammate Sakura and her uh always punching him and as much as it pained him to admit he missed Sasuke. Even though he missed him he was angry at Sasuke for being such a big part of the Kami damned war, even though he fought on their side at the end. Or did he? Naruto had a feeling he did but the ache in his head prevented him from thinking any further. 

He quickly finished the wood and went onto the next thing on the list which was washing windows. He groaned, today was going to be a long day. He was snapped out of his depressing thoughts by another dying whale sound. Today was going to be a very long day. 

•••

It was midnight and Naruto was exhausted and hungry enough that the grass he just cut looked appetising. He dragged himself inside and to the front desk where Kirin was still reading. She glanced at him then did a double take. 

"I thought you left" she managed to get out through an open mouth and wide eyes. She realised she honestly wasn't the most observant person. 

Naruto shook his head in response. "I did everything on your list, can I have the room key now?" Naruto asked already half asleep. She was about to reply when a loud grumbling sound filled the room. Naruto went bright red and scratched the back of his head. 

Kirin let out a small laugh. Looking at him now he didn't seem half as sketchy or imitating. You really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. She felt guilty that she made him do all those things on the list, there were at least thirty different tasks... 

She grabbed him by the arm and marched him to the kitchen. Naruto let out a grunt of surprise but didn't say anything as she sat him down and started to cook. Soon after he got a waft of something good. His mouth started to water at the smell. His eyes lit up as Kirin came back into sight with a plate of something he didn't recognise but he was too hungry to care what it was. 

After she put it down it was gone in seconds which made Kirin laugh again. Naruto suddenly stilled. "Hey I'm not going to have to do another list to pay for this am I?" He questioned through narrow eyes. Now it was Kirins turn to look sheepish. 

"Well you see, I really didn't expect you to really do it so it's on the house.." she mumbled "Oh, I'll go get you key now" she shouted behind her back as she ran off. 

Naruto sighed in content. A good end to a horrible, traumatising, confusing day. It's a wonder he hasn't broke down yet but to be honest it didn't really feel real. He supposed that helped. Kirin gave him his key and ran off again saying something about locking up. Naruto jumped up and headed to his room fully ready for a good nights sleep.

He opened and closed the door, not even bothering to look around and collapsed on the bed. He was gone as soon as he shut his eyes. 

•••

When Naruto opened his eyes next it barely felt like five minutes had passed but the light peaking through the window said otherwise. He groaned in frustration. He hated when that happened. He stood up and stretched, sweat dropping slightly as he heard another tear in his clothes. He looked down on himself. His clothes were ruined and he was caked in mud, or was that a tan? He sighed and opened the door to what he assumed was the bathroom. He turned on the shower adjusting the temperature slightly. 

He kicked his shoes of, 'did I really sleep in my shoes?', and striped down. After a few minutes in the shower he concluded that it was a bit of mud and a bit of a tan which he wasn't complaining about. He shampooed his hair and felt his muscles relax for the first time in a long time. So far as he knows. 

Naruto was in a towel, searching the room for anything useful and to his delight, he found a sewing kit. Naruto was no sewing master but he wasn't completely useless. He stitched up his shirt the best he could though the same couldn't be said about his jacket. He sighed. He really loved that jacket... 

The worst holes in his pants were kept together by his kunai holder and he messily sewed the smaller ones together with the only thread left which was pink. He looked at his outfit satisfied. Sewing skills +1. 

He walked downstairs and saw Kirin reading once again. She smiled at him and told him breakfast was served in the next room. Three plates of food later he was ready to go. 

"Could you tell me where Konoha is, uh was?" Naruto questioned the reading girl. She looked at him funny. 

"If you keep going straight down the same road, it's about three days on foot..." she replied cautiously. Naruto lit up at that. He reckoned he'd make it there by nightfall if he ran. He was closer then he thought to home. If his home was even there... the prick in his head reminded him not to worry about it until he could remember things without getting hit in the head with a sledge hammer.

Naruto thanked her and was finally on his way. He ran through the trees to stay out of sight and the way. He didn't want to bump into something that would delay him further. He felt much better then he did yesterday, having a shower, food and sleep made a big difference.

•••

It was well past sundown when Naruto finally reached the outskirts of Konoha. He noticed on his way that even though he recognised the forest surrounding Konoha it still felt different. Something was off and that fact caused a sinking feeling in his stomach.

The closer he got to Konoha to worse it felt. Something was very wrong. At first he couldn't exactly put his finger on it. The aura of the village was more peaceful, though it still had that tenseness all ninja villages have. He looked at it from the distance, it was dark but he could see some things. Some things that were definitely not there before. His breath caught in his throat. 

The last time he was in Konoha it was... destroyed? Repaired? Gone? He winced as the shooting pains in his head came back. The whole experience was really start to get to him. Why couldn't he remember anything? He had a clear memory up until the fight with Kaguya. They won. Right? He wasn't so sure anymore. He sat down in a secluded area in the forest, in a meditation position. He tried remembering again. They won the fight definitely but something was wrong. He felt what he was feeling during the aftermath but he couldn't remember it. Why does he feel so full of grief? 

The grief wasn't your ordinary grief, that you can get over after time. This is the all consuming, treacherous kind of grief, that stays with you always and never truly leaves. He screamed out clutching his head. The longer he tried remember the worse it got. 

When he finally calmed himself down and suppressed everything down, he made his way to the gates of the village. He talked his way through the night guards and onto the streets. Even the night guards were strange. They weren't lazy and relaxed like the ones from his childhood, but they weren't going over board in checking backgrounds like they were the past few years. 

Walking through the streets of Konoha was surreal. He didn't even recognise some of these places... As he was looking around in wonder he saw something wrong. Very wrong. In a very un-ninja like fashion he cried out in surprise. 

He stared at the mountain in shock. The Hokage monument, which had the faces of all the past leaders of the village, had three faces. Half of them were missing. His mouth was open wide. How was this possible? He slowly started to walk again and pick up his pace. He ran through the streets toward his old childhood home. He didn't know if he was surprised or reassured when he found it wasn't there. He slowed down to a walk and looked at the buildings again. 

He was in the bad part of town, or the red-light district. The buildings were worn and desolate, some having bright signs, more commonly the strip clubs. Again Naruto barely recognised any buildings. Though there was one he definitely remembered. He eyes the seemingly inconspicuous red brick building. The outside was plain but inside it was like a black market for illegal weapons. 

The thing about ninja villages is that civilians can't buy ninja weapons. Most gangs rely on places like this to get their supply, and the buildings relied on, say, low level chunnins looking for some easy cash. Jonins had to much to lose if they were caught and it was look strange for genin to buy a large supply of weapons they didn't know how to use. 

Entering the building he got some funny looks, but wasn't questioned. People know what they're doing if they enter alone. Or the complete opposite. 

•••

Naruto was back in the main part of the village, frog wallet full. He booked a small inn he knew from his childhood. The owners were one of the nicer villagers. They never did or said anything bad to him, but they weren't like Teuchi, the man who owned his favourite ramen place, either. 

Lying down in his bed, he felt exhausted. He was frustrated and confused and had no idea what to do. He had no idea what happened the last few weeks, or years? He didn't even know. 

He was running all day and he was feeling the pain, as well as having a splitting headache curtesy of wandering thoughts about the past. The thing Naruto needed most right now was sleep. He'd explore the village more in the morning, when it was light and he could see. He'd also get new clothes, and food... 

As he was finally drifting off to sleep, he briefly wondered if he is in the ultimate tsukuyomi, but this was far from his paradise.


	2. II

Naruto cracked his eyes open warily, cursing the sun shining in his face through a crack in the curtains. He sighed knowing there was no way he was going to fall back asleep. He streched his stiff arms in the air and lumbered slowly towards the bathroom. After freshening up he headed downstairs excited for the free breakfast the inn offered. 

Walking through the streets of Konoha was bitter sweet. He only recognised some of the streets, the others were probably destroyed during the Kyuubi attack he mused. He kicked a stone sadly deep in thought just walking where his feet take him. What was he even supposed to do now, when he didn't even know if he was dreaming?

He decided to stop being negative and to just focus on the small things for the minute. Like his new clothes. He scowled annoyed he couldn't find anything orange. He'd settled with the normal navy pants, the standard sandles and a black top. He was sticking to the basics. He really didn't need to stand out when there was probably no trace of his existence since now. If someone started snooping... 

He was snapped out of his musings by a small body crashing into his. 

"Ahh I'm so sorry oji-san but I gotta go I'm late!" 

Naruto's eye twitched. Oji-san? He looked at the boy who was bowing so low he could see the Uchiha fan on his back. He startled a little bit, not realising they'd all still be alive. The boy raised his head and Naruto's eyes widened to the size of sausers. This disrespectful brat was Obito Uchiha. 

Something flashed in Obito's eyes as they went wide too. He stuttered out an excuse and ran like the hounds of hell were after him. It was something that made Naruto's eyes go hard. Recognition. 

Why on earth would a child Obito Uchiha recognise him. Unless he had something to do with why he was there in the first place. He considered chasing after him but he really didn't need to be making a scene that could land him in jail. He sighed, his first clue to why he was there only left him with more questions. He kept walking and kicking stones, resolving to seek him out later. 

•••

Obito was having a bad day. First he woke up late. This wasn't unusual of course but it still left him scrambling to go get ready. In his haste he almost didn't see the old lady that needed help with her shopping bags, coming back from the morning market. He stopped and helped, which again wasn't that unusual except this time he was really late. No the thing that made his morning, day really, so terrible was the weird blonde man he body slammed. 

He was sprinting to the training fields and he didn't even feel this guys presence. Usually this meant that they had a abnormally low chakra, even by civilian standards. He was either very young or very old. He guessed the latter judging by height. He had felt horrible for knocking over an old man and he'd bowed deeply. 

Only when he came up he found he wasn't old, only about in his late twenties, early thirties. That wasn't the only strange thing. This guy looked exactly like Minato, his sensei. He had thought he'd no family. Again this isn't what ruined his day. What ruined his day was the fact that he knew this guy from somewhere, and after seeing him he was getting a headache thinking about it.

At first he chalked it up to his resemblance to Minato-sensei as he was running away, but as the day went by he knew it was something more. His headache was only getting worse after looking into that guys eyes, and it was starting to really bother him. He was distracted in his spar with Kakashi and got winded because of it. Minato told them to stop early and gave Obito a weird look.

His teamed noticed he seemed off, since he was so quiet he guessed. When Rin, his caring, loving, talented teammate who he was definitely not in love with, questioned him he simply put on his best smile and laughed the questions off. 

"Are you sure?" She asked concern marring her features, "is it the trip? I'll only be gone for a couple weeks you know.." her voice trailed off at the blank look on Obito's face. 

Ah yes. The trip he'd completely forgotten about with everything that happened. She was to go on a trip with other medical experts to learn and find medicinal plants for they're rapidly dwindling supply. 

He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, not that anyone could tell the difference. "I'll be fine Rin." 

Hours later and he sat at home completley not fine. His head was pounding relentlessly, passing from a bad headache into a severe migraine. He winced and clutched his head, tears threatening to spill onto his couch. He didn't remember when or even how he fell asleep. 

The next morning, he woke up on the floor. The sun was high in the sky and he knew he missed training. He sighed and got up massaging the knots that had formed in his neck and shoulder. He noticed something on the wall and turned to it horrified. Blood. 

He skidded into the bathroom and looked in the mirror in horror. Blood was all down half his face. He jumped into the shower and scrubbed it off. He stood there for a couple minutes trying to remember, a dull throb pounding in his head.

He forced himself out and examined the wound. It was smaller then he thought, the amount of blood made it look worse then it was. There was bruising at his temple. He let his fingers brush over it and hissed out in pain. At least the headache was gone he supposed. He didn't exactly know what happened. He did have an unsettling theory though, the blood on the wall staring at him accusingly. He frowned at it.

He sighed and got dressed then made his way into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge. Of course nothing was in it. His stomach growled in protest. He slipped on his sandles and headed towards the shops. 

Obito was confused. He could of sworn this street was different he though starting to get annoyed after taking another wrong turn. What was going on with him? Not only was he messing up directions but he kept seeing things, like a person in the corner of his eye that he could of sworn knew but didn't recognise. His headache was coming back again much to his displeasure. He wandered into an unfamiliar shop and picked up some instant noodles. 

He frowned stumbling on the walk home. He didn't even like ramen. His head was getting worse again. He walked faster desperate to get home. His skin was starting to itch and become uncomfortable and the headache was spreading to behind his eyes. 

He was practically running at this point, bumping into strangers on the street. He didn't even apologise, his mind focused on one thing and one thing only, getting home. His stomach started to sink the more he ran. Which way was it? His memory started to blur, where did he live?! 

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he slammed into another person. Only this time it wasn't that blonde guy, but another Uchiha. The tall man whirled around to glare at what nearly knocked him over. His dark eyes getting sharper as he recognised Obito. 

"What do we have here?" He sneered, eyes glinting with malice. Obito panicked, shooting up and running fast in the other direction, shopping long forgotten. He heard footsteps behind him and ran faster, taking random turns to lose him, them maybe? 

Finally it stopped, relief pouring out of him. His moment of peace faded as his headache came back with vengeance, angry at being forgotten. Except now everywhere hurt. He clutched his eyes and screamed. He was hyperventilating as his back slammed against a wall. Looking around he realised he was in an alley. Judging by the needles on the ground and the gut wrenching smell he was in the bad part of town. The Red Light district. 

He was panicking, he was always told to avoid here at all costs. He stumbled out of the alley, the roads quiet during the day. He needed to get out of here. He was clutching his arm the itching under his skin getting worse. Tears pooling in his eyes he stumbled faster. Eventually his legs gave out from under his. 

He dragged himself into a small alley and rocked gently. Nothing made sense anymore, his memories were jumbled and confused and his eyes were burning. He doesn't remember when but he passed out. He can vaguely remember scratching the itch trying to satisfy it and someone shaking him. 

At first he remembered nothing. Then like a dream coming back to him, he remembered everything. His past, or future, the people that kept appearing around him, what he'd done, will do, tearing sensei's child away from him, Kakashi killing Rin.

He wretched off the side of the bed, mostly bile coming up due to his empty stomach. He stared at his hands in shock, one completley covered in blood. He stood up fast, head spinning. 

"What the bloody hell has Naruto done?!" 

Obito was dead. He froze. Or was he? His last moments seemed blurry. He shook his head. He was smaller, much smaller, the bed looking massive compared to what he was used to. He stumbled backwards until his bare back hit off a door. 

Opening it he found a bathroom. It wasn't in the best shape but he wasn't complaining. Looking in the mirror he realised he was drenched in blood. That wasn't the most shocking part though. He stared at the purple ringed eye looking back at him.

'What the actual fu-?' 

He decided to get into the shower, which was to his dismay, ice cold. He scrubbed his body hard until skin finally poked through. He smirked satisfied until he started scrubbing his other half. The skin underneath was paler, much paler. His stomach lurched again as he scrubbed harder. He'd recognise this anywhere. The material made from the First Hokage's DNA. What he'd had longer then his normal skin. The question was, why did he have it now? 

He got out of the shower and looked in the mirror. He was definitely younger, his genin years he guessed, but he had the same Obito-Zeus proportions from his past. Future? He sighed and got dressed back into his clothes. He ditched his shirt and just zipped his jacket up. They were soaked in dried blood but he didn't have any other options. He opened the door back into the room he woke up in. He froze when he saw a women who looked even more shocked to see him. 

"How are you even conscious?" She exclaimed, more to herself then him, running out the door calling a name. Not long after she came back with an older women. Maybe in her forties. She blinked in surprise at him then scowled. 

"What the hell are you doing out of bed?" She snapped, ushering him back. 

"W-what?" He stuttered gobsmacked. Who was this woman? "I'm fine really" he insisted, his voice evening out back to normal. 

"Fine?" She scoffed, "tell that to someone who wasn't watching you tear your skin off and scoop your own eyes out" she said with disbelief in her tone. 

Obito choked. What? She continued, "imagine seeing that, then to my surprise you just grew a new eye, a purple eye and casually grew back white skin. What even are you?" She exclaimed but to Obito's surprise not bad natured or suspicious just genuine curiosity.

Obito stopped for a moment to think. He simply muttered out that he didn't know. The older women's eyes widened minutely and she barked at the younger girl to "get the poor boy some clothes!"

After Obito was dressed and stable on his feet he went into another room with the woman who was waiting not so patiently for him. In it was a bedroom and kitchen, like a small one room flat. She sat him down and started cooking. Soon two plates of eggs were infront of him and he wolfed his down with no complaint. 

It was strange, Obito pondered, he felt like he was thirty and ten all at the same time. He looked up to see the woman looking at him with amusement but he couldn't find it in him to feel embarrassment. 

"So kid," she started, "what's your story?" 

Obito's mind went blank. What was his story. He had many. 

She frowned at his still features. "Maybe an easier question. Who are you?" 

That should of been easier. He could just say Obito Uchiha. Execpt he didn't know if he was. Obito died under those rocks. He was Madara after that, but Madara died with Naruto's stupidly convincing words. Tobi was a persona he used, his twisted version of Obito. He really didn't know who he was, but this woman was expecting an answer. 

"Obito I guess" he muttered. He hated how weak his voice sounded. Weakness was his biggest fear, right up there with failure. 

She smiled a gruff crooked smile, "well then 'Obito I guess', my name is Miki." 

He sweat dropped at her lame joke, but after that conversation flowed freely. He told her about the headache and how he ended up in the alley. He sheepishly explained that his family didn't like him very much when she asked why they chased him instead of helping him. Her eyes were hard after that. He told her everything that happened that day minus the memories, and acted like he had no idea what the eye or the skin was. He had no idea why he was being so open. Maybe he was just sick of lieing all the time 

Obito honestly didn't know what was wrong with him. He was far from a child, yet when she gave him the eye he felt scolded and he just felt generally childish around her. He could see the concern under the blunt comments and her insults never carried real bite. He briefly wondered if this is what having a mother figure felt like. He furrowed his eyebrows. He was a bit old to have a damn mother figure. 

Honestly he was just talking things as they came. He knew once he tried to process everything this brief serenity he was feeling would come crashing down. He started a war, killed many innocent lives. He did not deserve her concern, but just for now, for this brief moment, the calm before the storm, he would bask in it. 

They talked well into the night and she told him he could stay again. He thanked her, and to his suprise he really meant it. 

He lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. He knew sleep wouldn't come easy. A few tears started pouring out of his eyes. He clenched his fists, why did he have to have the emotional restraint of a child?! He had lived years of misery and pain, he was better then this! Or was he?

He was a monster, plain and simple, brainwashed by the only Uchiha who ever gave a damn about him. He'd killed the people closest to him and thousands of strangers, directly and indirectly. For God's sake he'd crippled a village into debt, he had family turning on family, life long friends ripping eachother apart because of a prejudice he created! 

He was worse then scum. He curled into a ball wishing he could just disappear forever. He didn't deserve the kindness he got from strangers. He didn't deserve Minato as a sensei, or Kakashi and Rin as teammates. He didn't deserve Rin's concern. He wanted them all to hate him, hate him like they should. He didn't deserve life. He curled tighter, nails drawing blood from him palms. All he could think as he drifted to sleep was he hoped he never woke up.


	3. III

Very small mention of rape. Read with caution. 

Orochimaru was pissed. He'd just come back from getting groceries and some complete and utter idiot crashed into him, making what would of been his dinner crash onto the filthy street. 

He scowled and glared daggers at the blonde dumbass rubbing his head in pain. He looked up at him finally anger flashing in his eyes and froze, anger dissipating, seeing the icy glare. He quickly hopped up shaking his hands wildly. 

"Ahh I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going eheheh" his flailing hands stopped to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. 

Orochimaru scoffed bending down trying to salvage what was left on the ground. The eggs had broken and covered everything. He contained his anger. He'd just joined ROOT under Lord Danzo and he was better at controlling his emotions then ever. 

"I'll uh buy you new stuff?" A voice suggested. He was about to decline and sneer at him but then he remembered his empty fridge back at home. He sighed. 

"Fine." 

To his surprise the guy let out a blinding smile and walked along cheerfully with him during the short walk back to the shop. This guy. He'd never seen anyone cycle through so many emotions so quickly in such a short amount of time. Apart from maybe his old teammate Tsunade when his other old teammate was peeping on her. He almost snorted though he'd never let anyone know he found it amusing. The pervert. 

They reached the shop and he went through what he had before into a basket. Maybe he threw in a few extra things out of spite. He carried the besket to the till the guy was beside, arms full of instant ramen. The guy saw him eyeing his 'shopping load' and started looking sheepish. He almost sweat dropped. 

'What was this guy?'

The man put his ramen on the counter and grabbed the basket, paying for everything. He handed his bags to him and scratched his head again. 

"Sorry again for uh crashing into you." He muttered embarrassed. Orochimaru sighed and simply walked out of the shop. He was starving and it was late. 

One thought did cross his mind though as he was walking away. How did that guy crash into him in the first place? Orochimaru was a master of sensing chakra but he didn't sense that guy at all. He stretched his senses out back to the shop and surrounding areas and frowned when he couldn't find him. Now he was really curious. 

'Who is he?'

•••

Naruto was walking around reeling from that truly odd encounter. He was walking back from a training ground after stalking Obito's team all day. Yet Obito never showed up even when everyone was saying goodbye to the girl. Watching Kakashi and Minato made his stomach unsettle. They would never know him. Knowing that made him feel sick.

They seemed just as confused as he was as to where their missing teammate was. His dad also seemed angry that he missed seeing her off. He suppose they did delay leaving for half an hour for him. 

Walking back, after giving up, never would he have thought he'd end up buying Orochimaru of all people groceries. When he saw who's bags he knocked when he was distracted trying to sense Obito's chakra, he had half a mind to stamp on them further and kill the man on the spot. He didn't know why he offered to replace them, and he certainly didn't know why he was happy he agreed. Naruto was now skint broke and all he had was ramen. 

He didn't exactly consider he'd have no place to cook it. He had no money for the over priced inn and he was dead on his feet. By now it was late so he simply hopped up on a tree and fell asleep with the ramen as a pillow. He'd let tomorrow's problems be tomorrow's problems. 

He woke up to the sound of people, interrupting his ramen filled dreams. Voices blurred together until you couldn't make out a single conversation. He blinked in confusion. Then it hit him. It must be a Saturday morning. Konoha had a huge market on every Saturday morning. It used to be one of the only places he could buy stuff, the sellers too busy to look at him. He smiled he always liked the market, the village felt alive and everyone was too distracted to pay him any mind. 

He jumped off his tree, bag of ramen in hand and headed towards the noise. 

He walked around in awe, the market bigger then he remembered. He regretted that he had no money to buy anything. He could smell all the diffrent types of food from the diffrent stalls. His stomach growled in protest to his empty wallet. What really caught his attention though was a slightly familiar smell. He couldn't quite place it at that moment but it became clear as he followed it. Standing there, in an empty stall, was a much younger Teuchi. Naruto's heart warmed. He walked up to the stall and Teuchi glanced at him but soon did a double take. 

His eyes lit up. "Hello!" He exclaimed excitedly, "welcome to Ichiraku's Ramen!" 

Naruto smiled but it dimmed quickly. "Ah I'm sorry, but I don't have any money." He was genuinely disappointed. Teuchi deflated but slowly got an evil look in his eyes. 

"How about a taste test?" He questioned, "I'm new to the ramen scene so I'm always looking for feedback." He grinned. Naruto had a bad feeling but he wasn't going to say no to free ramen. 

Not long after a bowl was placed infront of him. He eagerly dug in but soon realised why it was free and why he didn't recognise the smell instantly. He gagged. This was not the ramen of his time. 

"W-what?! Why so much salt and seaweed? Where's the egg?" Naruto quickly listed off what was wrong with the monstrosity in his bowl. Teuchi wasn't offended however, no he was quickly writing this all down and cooking up another bowl. 

Slowly but surely the ramen was getting better and Naruto was getting fuller. Eventually many, many bowls later when it mostly resembled the ramen he was used to, Teuchi bowed so low Naruto felt embarrased. 

"You are a Ramen God Naruto-sama" His eyes were shining and tears pooled down his face. 

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I'm sure you would of figured it out eventually" he argued. 

After saying goodbye, he left with a full stomach and a new resolve. 

He was hoping he could spot Obito around. Most the village was here. It had something for everyone, even ninja. Different weapon stalls littered the area as did places to buy or trade jutsu scrolls though they were more scarce. You did need ninja identification of course. 

Speaking of those stalls he saw a familiar face at one that moment. Orochimaru was going through diffrent scrolls, some he recognised. He sauntered over and after getting a closer look he saw they were some familiar wind scrolls. 

"Hmm that scroll has ones with lots of diffrent purposes, but this one," he motioned to another scroll picking it up, "really has some hidden gems." 

Orochimaru turned to him eyebrow raised and took the scroll from his hand. May as well humour him. He scanned it quickly and his eyebrow raised higher as he realised it really did. They seemed basic enough but under the right circumstances they could be very dangerous. He blinked in surprise but stilled his face when he caught sight of the man smiling in triumph. He noticed what the man was holding and raised his eyebrows. How much ramen did he eat? Naruto went red hiding the bag behind his back.

He tucked his pride away long enough to buy the damn scroll. He turned to the man curious. He wanted to know more about his chakra suppressing techniques as he was now certain this man was now a ninja. He simply did what he normally did when he wanted someone to tell him something. 

He smiled at him and played nice. "Are you very interested in wind jutsu? You seem to know a lot about it." He feigned interest in the man knowing that people were more open with sharing information if they were passionate about it. 

Naruto scrunched up his face in distaste. "Boo you suck. I liked you better when you were mean at least you were honest. " Naruto scowled at him. He didn't like being played. 

Orochimaru's eyes widened but he had a smaller smile now, more of a smirk really, but it was genuine. "Humour me." He requested. 

Naruto sighed and started walking along with the man through the stalls. "Not really" he muttered and elaborated seeing Orochimaru's expression, "my teacher always got me wind scrolls and made me learn them, but to be honest I only really use one wind jutsu." 

Orochimaru pulled a face. Why restrict yourself to only one jutsu? That would truly be a nightmare for him. 

When asked why, Naruto just explained that it 'always does the job he guessed.' 

This man was getting more and more curious. What really surprised Orochimaru was that he happened to enjoy the conversations. Contrary to his previous assumption the man was quite smart. 

He guessed he was either so smart he was dumb, or so dumb he was smart. If he had to pick he would say the latter. He never really had enjoyable conversations before. He used to enjoy talking to his sensei, he wasn't called the Professor for nothing, but he found himself disagreeing with some of his opinions. 

He couldn't talk to his teammates, Tsunade long gone, gambling her grief away. Why people ever let themselves fall in love was beyond him if that's what it could do to people. Jiraiya on the other hand came back to Konoha often, but was too much of an idiot to have a decent conversation with. 

He frowned. Those were the only people he was remotely close with. Not that he needed friends anyway of course. Still it felt nice to properly talk to someone who didn't regard him as a sociopath. He knew the way people looked at him. He wasn't blind. Though if he went through with what he and Danzo were planning they wouldn't be far off. 

Naruto noticed the man beside him was lost in thought and sighed. Was he really that boring? He thought again of Obito. Where was he? The boy had conpletley evaded his senses and he wasn't going to risk sage mode. Not yet. He still had a lot to sort out. The more he thought about it the more it overwhelmed him, resolving to just find Obito first then go from there. He frowned. They boy might not even know anything.

The two walked beside eachother both lost in thought. Though neither would admit it they both enjoyed the company in odd ways. They couldn't help that they were both cripplingly lonely. It was odd to feel so alone so surrounded by people. 

Orochimaru eventually had to head back to his work at a research facility, but as he nodded goodbye he couldn't help but feel excited to finish their conversation. 

•••

Obito was awake since four. He was staring at the ceiling listening to the tick of the clock. That wasn't the only thing keeping him up. He had realised where he was the second night he had stayed there. He cringed as he listened to the fake moans and creaking in two other rooms. 

He sighed. Beggars can't be choosers. It wasn't his fault the people in this brothel were nicer then nearly all of his family combine. They really were. They treated him well and let him stay. He was in a diffrent room then the one he woke up in, similar to the one woman who found him owned, with a small kitchen and sitting room which housed a small couch. Only it was a bit smaller then hers. Not that he minded. They wouldn't even take his money to stay there. Many of them were the same in a way. Abusive families. Making money the only way they could. 

They didn't want his pity though and he didn't give it. He did pay them back in a way however. It happened a couple nights before. Again he was woken but this time it was by sobbing. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on, and it didn't take a hero to beat the shit out of the man. Though the girls started treating him like one. 

What was a little security job to live rent free? He really owed them a lot. 

This wasn't exactly what he was thinking about at the moment though. No training with his team was to start in two hours. He hadn't showed up in nearly a week and he left early before that. He didn't even see Rin off. Not that she would want him to. Not if she really knew him. 

He sighed and figured he probably should go. The more he postponed it the worse it would get. He had never missed a session before. Was he very late to some? Yes. Completely didn't show up? No. 

He sighed and got dressed. Ninja pants, a black top and his sandles. He used his hitai-ate to cover his eye, future Kakashi style. He also bandaged up half of his body incuding the bottom of his face. He scowled looking in the mirror. He looked so extra. 

He didn't exactly have much clothes and the ones he was wearing when he stumbled into that alley were unsalvageable. Miki didn't go into further detail about what happened. He did see enough chunks of skin to not pry. 

He didn't exactly remember where he lived to get more clothes. Not that he exactly wanted to. His memories were blurry at best from the true past few years. He still got lost around Konoha. It had been so long... 

Everyone was asleep by this point, as he slipped out the door and onto the streets. He went along the back alleys following a badly drawn map one of the girls gave him, showing the safest way to the main part of the village. 

By the time he found the training grounds he was only ten minutes late. Kakashi and Minato were already there, looking unimpressed. Bile rose in his throat.

'I'm so sorry, oh god I'm sorry.'

His breathing quickened and he fought to control it, avoiding they're eyes. 

"And where were you?" Minato asked blandly. Obito gulped. Kushina had loud anger, you would always know when you did something to piss her off. Minato on the other hand. His anger was quiet, and hard to spot. He silently seeths. It was much worse. 

He looked up at them. They both looked confused probably following his fashion statement but said nothing verbally. 

"I uh.." he really didn't know what to say. What could he say. Minato let out a small scowl. Minato never scowled, and muttered 'nevermind'. 

Minato showed his anger through small things. Such as the silent treatment, not calling off the spar after Kakashi had obviously won, not saying goodbye. They were little things yet they stabbed. Obito didn't even know why he was getting upset. He'd done much, much, worse to Minato. 

He was sore and bruised from the spar with Kakashi. He didn't exactly put his all in. He never won and it would be suspicious if he suddenly did. This body was also weak. Though he'd trained much weaker to peak performance. This would be nothing. 

He walked back defeated to the brothel, taking the back alleys. It was funny that that place already felt more like home then his house ever did. His life really did take a weird turn but that didn't stop his heart from warming slightly when people greeted him back kindly. He opened his door and collapsed on his small couch. He was really a mess. Eventually he took a shower and got into comfortable clothes to sleep in. 

He sat on the couch, knees hugged to his chest. He felt sick, again he let his team down. Already they hated him.

'Though that's what he wanted wasn't it?'

He could just continue this. Be unreliable and cold. His team didn't need him. He'd only hurt them. That's all he ever did. He knew Naruto was looking for him. He didn't want to face him. To tell him of all the people to remember it was him. Not his Dad or his Mother or even Kakashi. No, it was the person who tried to kill them all. Successfully killed two of them. 

He didn't want to think anymore. Luckily not long after that thought he heard a knocking on his door. He shouted for them to come in and he was pleased to see Miki enter. She started boiling water for tea straight away and plopped herself down beside him on the couch, Cheshire Cat smile on her face. 

Something that Obito quickly learned about the woman was she fed off drama, and he'd finally left his room and he better of had a good story to tell if he didn't want to face her wrath. 

Obito had faced off against the strongest of opponents, but man this woman was terrifying. The kettle was boiled and she poured them both tea. Obito didn't think he ever had so much tea in his life. 

They drank tea and gossiped well into the night like old ladies, and for a single moment, everything was okay.


	4. IV

Obito was frozen, eyes wide on the busy street. Maybe he hadn't seen him? He cautiously started to move again praying for good luck, but the hand that clamped down on his arm proved that he was wrong. 

Within the blink of an eye Obito was suddenly sunshined to a forest, an angry Naruto staring down on him. 

"Speak." His tone left for no nonsense. Naruto had been trying to find him for a full week. Finally he had spotted him by pure chance. He felt bad for suddenly turning and bolting on Orochimaru. He'd get over it. Probably. 

Obito sighed. "I don't really know what to say," he said exhausted. He hadn't been avoiding Naruto but let's just say if he felt his presence on the street he would turn and boot away.

"Maybe start with why the hell we're here?" Naruto felt sick with anger he hated being left in the dark, not knowing something important to his life. 

"And how the hell am I suppose to know?" Obito spat, hackles rising in response to Naruto's hostility. Obito narrowed his eyes at the shock on Naruto's face. Did he really think this was all his fault? 

"Your the one that triggered my memories, aren't you the one suppose to know everything?" 

Again shock was present on Naruto's face. That wasn't possible Obito was supposed to know everything and explain what was going on. 

"Trigger your memories?" He said it more to himself then Obito. 

"I didn't remember anything until I crashed into you" Obito explained. He sighed rubbing his head. Nothing made sense. Not that it did in the first place juste now there was no hope of answers. 

Naruto was the same, staring into the distance, lost in thought. 

"So you know nothing?" Naruto finally spoke, sounding bitter. He had thought once he talked to Obito everything would make sense and he would remember everything. How naive. Only now everything was more confusing. He started to get angry. Angry at himself mostly, angry at the stupid headache he got when he tried remember anything. 

Naruto scanned over his face taking in his covered eye and bandages and narrowed his eyes. "Why do you look like that?" 

Obito bristled. "If you have to know, when my memories oh so graciously decided to return to me, they brought some souvenirs." Obito spat. He hated his eye and he hated his skin and maybe he just hated himself. 

Naruto's eyes widened. How was that even possible. His hand hesitantly went to the headband covering his eye and lifted it up when his hand wasn't slapped away. Purple rings stopped the air in his chest. He dropped the headband back down and snatched his hand away. 'What the hell?' Naruto knew nothing made sense anymore but this took the cake. What he saw shouldn't even be biologically possible. He dragged a hand through his hair. This was a tomorrow problem. 

Obito kept his mouth shut and clenched his teeth while Naruto basically felt up half his body. This wasn't easy for him. Living knowing what he was going to do, with visual proof reminding him everyday. 

Something glaringly obvious occurred to Obito. What if he didn't? What if he just disappeared and stopped all the bad things from happening? Is it even possible to mess with time? Would the universe try stick to the original timeline? His head hurt from thinking. For a guy with space-time jutsus he sure hated the topic. 

He looked up at Naruto and hesitated. Both of them were tensed up like they were ready to strike. 

"I won't do it you know" his hands were clenched, nails digging crescent moons into his palms. 

Naruto looked up at his slowly, brows furrowed. "Do what exactly?" 

"Any of it!" Obito surprised himself by the power in his voice. "Any of it" he whispered it this time, voice much smaller. He felt vulnerable and he hated himself for it. 

Naruto stared at him for awhile. Searching for deceit in his eyes, searched his body language for signs of lying. Obito was wearing his heart on his sleeve. He needed Naruto to believe him. 

Naruto almost laughed. His life was insane. Orochimaru and Teuchi were his only human contact all week. A missing nin and the reason he didn't starve as a child. Or as an adult judging by his eating habits the last week. 

Why not throw his parents murder into the fold? At this rate he'll end up best friends with Madara and worshipping Kagura. 

Life was short though. Much to short to hold onto such hate. He imagined a ballon, inflating and deflating and matched his breathing to it. Maybe Obito wasn't his answer but that doesn't mean it's not out there. He wouldn't become a Sasuke.

Inflate. He held his fist out, looking at Obito expectantly. "Well then don't and we'll go from there." Deflate. Yes, Naruto felt more like his old self. He'd take life as it came. He'd figure the rest out later. Life was too short to do anything more. 

Obito stared at the fist with blank eyes. His mind shut down as he stared like an idiot. 

'What?' 

He'd honestly expected Naruto to just kill him. Gruesome as that was. He knew Naruto wouldn't, it was obvious now but that didn't really register when he'd previously imagined the encounter. Snapping out of his thoughts he slowly raised his hand to fist bump Naruto's. It was weird that he was so tall. Naruto let out a shaky smile and the tension started dissipating. They talked for awhile, of where the world went wrong, and what they can fix and of what has to happen. 

Taking a look at Naruto, he thought, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. 

•••

So maybe the reunion with Naruto didn't go as expected. If that was a good or bad thing was yet to be decided. Honestly though, he didn't think anything in his life would ever go as expected again. Why not just go with it? 

He wasn't sure what he's going to do about his team. No. They weren't his team. He didn't belong with them. They deserved better. So much better. Training was on hold for awhile, as Minato was on a mission and Rin was away. Should he go back to training? He could always disappear and live as a hermit in the mountains, helping lost travellers. His team didn't need him. Nobody did. He ignored the voice that offered a much more permanent solution. He frowned. 

What about Miki? The girls at the brothel? He clenched his fists. No, they were fine before him. 

'But they weren't' the traitorous little voice reminded him. They lived in fear. Obito ran his hand through his hair in frustration. These were thoughts for another time. He kicked a small stone in annoyance, thinking back to his conversation with Naruto. For now he would stay here, make sure things run smoothly, while Naruto took care of the more international things.. 

This was more then he expected. He had somewhat of a plan, a goal, hopes for the future. He always needed a plan in his life. Even if they were very bad ones. He could probably be described as an impulsive long term planner. It kept him grounded which was good. He's been floating through life the last week.

He felt a resolve. If he was to actually make a positive change he would need to get his body back into peak physical performance. Not that he was out of shape by civilian standards by any means not even chunin standards if he was being honest, he was about average. He just needed to be much more then average. His stamina was high and he was someone strong, but he was slow, with his movements jerky, and his flexibility was nonexistent. Mentally making a training program, he started walking home. 

He walked in a random direction, he didn't exactly know where in the forest he was but he figured he'd find a path eventually. Safe to say it was very dark by the time he finally got into bed.

•••

Naruto sat in a bar downing alcohol in deep thought. He naively thought Obito would be the answer to all his questions but if anything he was more clueless than him. He scowled throwing back the rest of his drink. He was sick of having to save the world. He was tired. He just wanted peace, something domestic and boring he didn't care. He had enough excitement in his life for several lifetimes. Life goes on though and he's just have to suck it up and bare it, make the most out of what he could. 

Like annoying his old sensei's teammate. That man got so easily riled it was hilarious, and even funnier is the fact that he thinks he can hide it so well. He really can't. He sighed. Oh what his life has been reduced to. Annoying a missing nin. Well future missing nin. 

Said future missing nin had a frown on his face. He had to stay back late at the research facility and saw a familiar face downing alcohol like a teenager. He didn't really know what possessed him to go over, maybe it was a spur of the moment thing. Which was really not like him but why dwell on it. 

He sat down next to him at the bar but the blonde didn't turn his head. 

"I'd recommend slowing down if you want to be functional tomorrow" he muttered in a bored sarcastic tone. 

No reply. He scowled he shouldn't of even came over he barley knew this man. He was fully prepared to leave when Naruto's head turned towards him slowly with a raised eyebrow. They made eye contact for about five seconds before the blonde grinned. 

"Awe, you care." 

The scowl Orochimaru let out would scare any lesser man but instead he just laughed. If the laugh was slightly hysterical Orochimaru chose not to comment. 

"What brings you out to this lovely establishment?" Naruto asked eyeing his lack of drink, "I don't think it was to get hammered." 'Like me' went unsaid. 

Orochimaru let out a quiet snort. "Work ran over" was all he supplied. 

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "A mission?" Eyes scanned over his body and the lack of dirt or grime on him, completely missing the dark look that came over Orochimaru's face. 

"No. I'm off duty for awhile due to an injury" he scowled and by the end he had a bitter tone showing what exactly he thought of being off, " I'm currently 'putting my skills to good use' in a research facility for sick children." He scowled. That was on Danzo but his old sensei readily agreed. He knew what he was supposed to do with the fancy new lab he was given but no amounts of 'they're dieing anyway' made him less queasy. 

Naruto coughed up his drink. "They let you near children?" He asked incredulous only realizing after the scary look he got how rude that sounded. 

"It's me you should be feeling sorry for" he muttered, memories of hair pulling and biting coming back to him while he was quite literally giving them things to save their lives. That's not that bad though, it's the whispers of 'monster, monster' that get to him. Not that he'd ever admit that. 

Naruto scoffed, " it can't be that bad". He just got a look in return. "Is it really that bad?" Orochimaru sighed and finally decided to order a drink making Naruto whistle. "They must be demons" he muttered looking at the bags under the paler mans eyes. At least he got a smirk for that comment. 

They both sat in silence with their drinks, thoughts heavy in their heads. At the lull in conversation Orochimaru returned the question. "What about you? What brings you to this 'fine establishment'" he mocked. Naruto smiled a bit but his eyes were distant. 

"I was banking on someone to fix all my problems and they didn't which is obvious now but.. I guess I'm just tired and confused." That was a lot deeper then Naruto was going for but it was a stressful day. 

Orochimaru stared. Seeing someone that was usually so.. so Naruto, looking lost really startled him. In a way he always saw him as the blonde airhead who knocked his shopping over. 

Naruto seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking about and blinked up at the other man. "You have to show me." At Orochimaru's confused expression he clarified, "the kids. They can't be that bad I think you're lying." 

Maybe it was because it was unnerving seeing him look sad or because when it came down to it he can really be a pushover but he agreed. Maybe it broke some rules and regulations but no laws were being broken so what could he do. And if he went home after agreeing on a time to meet with more of a skip in his step well then that was just his business.


	5. V

It was an average day. Obito was up and heading to meet his team for training. He frowned slightly already dreading it. The last few sessions had been tense and awkward and brimming with questions he didn't feel comfortable answering. It was his fault of course, he was being cold and aloof, not really engaging, and he could tell it was driving Minato up the wall adding to the stress he already had because of the war. It made him snappy and harsh at times and Obito can't remember a time he ever had such a bad relationship with him. 

He ran his hand through his hair. Oh well. This is what he wanted. His team didn't need to be upset when he inevitably left. He was on the training ground at this point, lost in thought. He distantly heard his name being called so he looked up. He really wished he hadn't. 

Standing there, looking the same as she did all those years ago, markings on her cheeks and warmth in her eyes, Rin Norah was smiling brightly at her teammate. 

She was a little peeved that he wasn't there to see her off as it caused many nights of overthinking. What had she done so wrong that her best friend wasn't there before she left for weeks? Though, she had such a good time on her trip and learned so much that she was willing to forgive and forget in her excitement to see him again. 

"Obito!" She called out slightly surprised, she didn't recognize him at first but she still smiled fondly when he looked up slightly dazed. He looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide and staring. Her smile faltered a bit but she walked up to him still. 

"Woah what's with the new fashion statement?" She laughed raising her eyebrows, "White hair? And covering your face? At least Kakashi's doesn't impair his vision." 

Obito bristled at the implication that he was trying to be more like Kakashi, though he could see why she thought that, and he had to physically restrain himself not to snap at her. He thought he could act like his old self, like Obito Uchiha, but at this point, he really didn't know who that was anymore. There was also the fact that maybe, just maybe, he was tired of acting, tired of pretending to be someone he wasn't.

He sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair letting out a small smile. 

"Maybe I wanted a fashion change" he countered dryly. 

Rin startled slightly and narrowed her eyes taking in the change. First of all physically, she eyed his hair, whiter than Kakashi's even, whose was more silver, the lack of any dark roots at all means it must of been a recent dye job. She took in his face next, the same as she remembered it just with his hitai-ate falling over his face, obscuring his eye. But the more she looked the more she noticed them. Thin pale scars covered half his face, only visible if you were looking for them with how faded they were, but how did he get them? They must of been old, very old, but she didn't remember any injury. Did he always have them? 

Even his clothes were different, his navy and orange outfit nowhere in sight, he was wearing the standard Chunin outfit, actually wearing his flack jacket for once. He also seemed bigger, not just taller but.. more filled out not that Rin was paying too much attention to that of course. 

She frowned as she took in his small smile. Where was his blinding grins that he always gave her, the kind that lit up his whole face and squinted his eyes? Where was his loud (if slightly obnoxious) humour compared to the dry sarcastic humour she was now hearing? Where was her Obito? 

Obito burned under her scrutinizing gaze and coughed lightly. She snapped back to herself and there was a tinge of red dusting her cheeks. 

"It's good to see you" he said softly. It really was good to see her, it made something twinge in his chest. She was so innocent and he'd do anything to keep her like that as long as possible. 

He looked up at Minato and Kakashi, who were looking at him with some mesure of surprise. He supposed it was a much quieter reunion than they'd expected. 

Minato recovered quickly and regarded them all with a smile. He hope Rin being back will end whatever's been going on with Obito the last few weeks. Minato's a patient man but Kami Obito could test him. 

•••

Naruto walked beside Orochimaru looking around in wonder. They were walking through a part of the village Naruto had never seen before. Unfamiliar shops spread throughout the streets making Naruto realize just how devastating the Kyuubi attack had been. 

They arrived at a building Naruto had never seen before. It was a small private hospital, which in all honesty looked a bit dreary. The man at the reception gave a nod to Orochimaru as they passed and no one even glanced at Naruto. Heading into a different part of the hospital Naruto couldn't help but wonder aloud. "What even is this place?" 

Orochimaru glaces at him, expression slightly amused. "It's a hospital for the more... obscure diseases, that Konoha's main hospital isn't.. well not unequipped, but doesn't have the resources to handle. The people here are mostly long term patients and the main hospital isn't exactly brimming with nurses for 24/7 care" he finished dryly. 

"Obscure?" 

"Unknown diseases that don't have a cure, this hospital is more research labs than sick bays."

Naruto nodded, he never knew Konoha had a specialized hospital, it didn't seem like something any of the Hokages but Tsunade would of thought of and she's probably not even in Konoha at the moment. He frowned.   
"Who funds the hospital?" He questioned. Maybe a rich civilian founded it after he lost someone to an incurable disease, or to boost his public figure. 

"Councilman Danzo Shimura" 

Naruto was honestly proud of himself for his reaction, or in better words lack of reaction. It made sense in a twisted way. He had to kidnap Konoha civilians from somewhere and whose going to question the loss of someone whose been sick for years? If they were even sick in the first place. 

It made him feel slightly nauseous walking through a place with such sinister true intentions, but it was over taken by a different thought. Orochimaru didn't know. That much was obvious. Or he definitely didn't know the full story. Naruto wouldn't be here if he knew, no way Orochimaru would let him anywhere near here if he knew. Well Naruto hoped anyway. Maybe he was just walking to his death. He watched the man without turning his head. How innocent was this Orochimaru? It was one of the questions that made him approach in the first place. He also felt he owed it to Jiraiya. He spent countless nights with the man lamenting about why he left the village, why he did what he did. He owed it to his old sensei to find out. 

Then there was also the fact he was beginning to enjoy the mans company. As weird of a thought as that was. 

They eventually reached a small office like room that was neat and tidy, all apart from the desk. The desk looked like it belonged to a room in the aftermath of a hurricane but the way Orochimaru went through it told Naruto he knew exactly where everything was. He saw Naruto eyeing the desk and Naruto could swear a little colour went into his cheeks. 

"I don't usually have visitors" he said in that dry way he phrased a lot of his statements. He grabbed a couple folders and sighed, "all right, come on." 

Naruto followed him down a corridor. "Where are we going?" He questioned, curiously. 

"Tuesdays I usually run basic tests on the.. children and check to see if their conditions are improving or worsening. Then I adjust medication accordingly." 

"Sounds easy" Naruto hummed making Orochimaru scowl. 

"Trust me it's an all day affair which is the only reason you're here. There used to be a nurse but they're rare these days." 

The war really affected all aspects of Konoha. No sector was left unscathed, especially healthcare. They reached a brightly coloured door and Orochimaru sighed. He hated Tuesdays. He was on a mission about a month ago and was hit with a unknown jutsu. It didn't affect him physically but his chakra coils were fried leaving him with the chakra control of an academy level student if not worse. It was bad enough to take him out of the field for a couple of months even in the middle of a war. He scowled thinking of how none of the Sannins were currently fighting. Bracing himself ever so slightly he swung the door open. 

All 9 of the heads in the room turned to him. Everything was silent for a good five seconds before screaming ensued. 

There was a war cry and a little girl screamed out to get to the battle stations. Children ran behind fortresses of blankets and cushions and they all grabbed seemingly random objects, mainly books. 

"Ready?!" Screamed the girl, the most likely de facto leader, "FIRE!" Books came pelting towards Orochimaru at a fast speed considering the size of the people throwing them. He swatted the one coming directly for his face and sighed. Kami he hated Tuesdays. He looked at his folder. 

"Hide" he said the boys name in a no nonsense voice staring at one of the smallest of children with light brown hair. 

"No! We won't let you take him!" Cried a boy this time. 

The girl agreed "we'll protect you from that monster Hide!" The girl reassured the small shaking boy. 

Honestly until that point Naruto found the whole situation hilarious. He could easily see why it was an all day task and at some points genuinely struggled to not laugh at the faces Orochimaru was making. His left eye was twitching irately and he looked ready to kill. Naruto has to admire the nerve of the kids. Then Orochimaru was called a monster and suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore. He knew what it was like, to be called a monster. To have an entire village loathe your existence. He wasn't blind to the looks Orochimaru got on the streets and sometimes he forgot they weren't meant for him. 

"HEY!" He snapped "who do you think you are?! You think you're a hero huh? This man is working hard to HELP all of you and what does he get back for it?! Books thrown at him and getting called a monster? You're not a hero, you're a bully!" He was slightly out of breath by the end of his small rant and he folded his arms and stared to girl down. Cut the head off after all and the body will fall. 

The girls mouth hung open. "W-what?" She whispered, more to herself. 

"What, you think he doesn't have feelings? You think your words don't hurt him?" He still stared the girl down missing the absolutely affronted expression on Orochinaru's face. Like what a little girl thought of him would effect his confidence. (It did a little bit but that was a fact buried deep in the recesses of his mind.) 

The little girl looked shell shocked then it slowly morphed to guilt. Nature started panicking, she looked like she was about to- 

The girl started bawling her eyes out. Orochimaru was about to strangle Naruto but then the strangest thing happened. The girl ran through her fort and launched herself onto his leg. "I'm sorry" she blubbered stuttering the second part of the sorry about three times, "I'll never call you a monster again o-or throw books at your head and I- I won't even cry when you take blood from my arm I'll be good I swear!" At this point all the other children started crying too and we're all stuttering through apologies and Orochimaru looked appropriately overwhelmed. 

Naruto knew it would be a really bad time to laugh as many crying children would take it the wrong was but the facial expression on Orochimaru made him want to genuinely belly laugh like he hadn't laughed in years. 

Gaining back control of himself he started, "He'll forgive you on one condition," most the kids stopped crying and stared at him intently, "you're super good for these tests and get through them as fast as you can." 

••• 

Hours. It took a mere couple hours for something that would usually take him all day and all week to recover from. He didn't know what to do with himself. 

"Any plans for the rest the day?" 

His head whipped up to see Naruto staring at him amused. He bristled. "That was my plan for the entire day but lucky for me you happen to be-" he struggled for a word, what could possibly of described what had happened, the 180 degree turn those demon children went through? 

"Great! Than as a thank you you can buy me ramen, my funds are running a little low" 

Orochimaru could hardly believe the sheer audacity of the man in-front of him but his body betrayed him as his lips twitched in an amused smile. He scowled straight after but Naruto already had a blinding grin on his face, making something in Orochimaru lighter, as he started walking towards the ramen stand Ichikarus.


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’d just like to say, the timeline in the era is dodgy at best so I’m taking creative liberty. Obviously nothing too out there but some events might happen a couple years earlier or later. If there’s anything completely wrong feel free to point it out :)

Minato strolled through the village at a leisurely pace. He was on his way to see the Hokage, but he was in no hurry. He loved walking through the village, it gave him a sense of pride and a warm feeling in his gut. Watching the civilians mill about doing their daily routine, watching kids with their parents, Konoha as a whole always gave off a happy glow. 

Of course it was dimmed at the moment, the war taking its toll. The average civilian was thinner than normal and everyone was generally more subdued, a presence of grief lingered in the air. It was rare to find anyone that hadn't lost someone at this point, but life goes on. It was the small things, the light in the children's eyes, the happy waves he got from friendly people thanking him for his efforts in the war. They gave him hope, hope that it'll be all over soon. He loved Konoha, the people in it, his friends, Kushina, his team, the forests and the green that just scream of home. The village that if he had a child, they would one day grow up in. He loved Konoha and he would do anything for it. 

He arrived at the Hokage Tower and the secretary let him up with a friendly smile, informing him that the Hokage was waiting for him. He knocked on the door and went through when he heard a soft 'enter'. 

"Minato," the Hokage greeted, giving a tired smile, "how are you? How's Kushina?" He looked older, more weary than Minato had ever seen him, his returning smile was slightly strained. 

"I am well as is my wife" he replied, his smile relaxing at the thought of her. 

"And your team? How is Kakashi with his recent promotion to Jounin?" 

"I'm trying not to let it go to his head," he said almost fondly, "Rin is well, her medical ninjutsu has improved drastically, Obito-" his face dropped for a second, "Obito is growing up." 

"As all children do," the Hokage said sagely, "with Kakashi as a jounin and Obito a Chunnin, I'm retiring you as a genin sensei," he finished rather abruptly. 

Minato's eyes widened and his mouth flew open about to protest. 

"I'm getting old," the Hokage cut in with a sigh, "too old to lead a village." Minato was frozen with shock. Was the Hokage retiring?

"What- why are you telling me this?" Minato questioned, a unknown feeling in his gut. Apprehension? 

"I'd like you to be my successor." 

Minato openly gaped. 

"You're the most qualified candidate in the village and I trust you," he went on, his smile twitch down, "Orochimaru is another, I love my student but I'm afraid- afraid he's going down a dark path that I can't pull him back from, that no one can pull him back from." The guilt was heavy on his face. 

Minato didn't know what to say, this was his dream. "Think on it," the Hokage finished, "your team should be here soon. The mission I'm about to give you could potentially end the war sooner than thought possible. It will be Team Minato’s last mission."

Minato blanched, such an important mission to be given to a Gennin a Chunnin and two Jounin? He voiced his thoughts. 

"The military power of Konoha has hit an all time low. There isn’t many others available," he grimaced. He was about to go on but was interrupted by a knock on the door, "enter."

Kakashi, Rin and Obito walked in unsurprised to see Minato already there. For half a second Minato was confused to see Obito on time but he remembered how different he was now, his punctuality one of the only changes he full heartedly approved of. The boy was more distant, colder to his team. He was no longer all smiles and optimism but he was snarky enjoyed getting a rise out of his team. 

"Hokage-sama" they greeted, bowing. 

"Team Minato, you are being assigned a mission. The objective: To destroy Kanabi Bridge. The mission details are in this scroll, you leave in three days. Dismissed." He handed the scroll to Minato and waved them out, eyeing the man meaningfully. 

Maybe if Minato wasn't still reeling from him and the Hokage's previous conversation, he would of noticed Obito go ramrod straight, clenched fists digging crescent moon indents into his palms. 

•••

Obito walked back to the red light district in a trance. He ignored Rin’s question on his wellbeing when he parted from them instead shooting her a look that stopped her mid sentence. He forced down the guilt at the helpless look on her face. 

Wandering through the red light district while not in a right state of mind was not a good idea in hindsight but he had a lot going on in his head. Before he was just going through the motions, waking up and training, focusing on getting stronger, but now, now something major was going to happen, something that would completely alter the timeline. By how much was yet to be decided. 

Before he was afraid to try some of his past abilities to be honest. He had his false limbs so was wood release still possible? He was afraid to try in case in wasn't, he was scared of being weak, helpless, but he couldn't afford to not try. Not anymore. 

The Kanabi Bridge Mission. It was here. He was almost relieved, before it was a dark cloud hovering over him always in the back of his mind. It felt inevitable but never real. He stumbled up to his room ready to lock himself away to the world. He was on the verge of a panic attack and he knew as soon as anyone said anything remotely stupid like 'are you okay?' he would crumble. 

A sharp knock and his door swung open, ruining his plans for the rest of the day. "You're back early how-" Miki stopped mid sentence as she took his trembling figure in, "oh Obito." 

She didn't say anything after that, she prattled around the kitchen making tea, giving him time to try control his breathing. She grabbed the two mugs and carefully placed herself down beside him on the couch. 

“I-” he started but his voice cracked and she shushed him. 

“It’s okay, just drink your tea” she hummed. He carefully took small sips afraid of spilling it with how bad his hands were shaking. 

“You know I never told you how I ended up here,” Miki hummed, holding here tea close to her lips. Obito glanced up grateful for the distraction. He appreciated what she was doing, distracting him, even though he knew she was a very private person. 

“I was young and in love,” she started, words hopeful but voice somber, “foolishly in love, so deep that I never realised he never loved me back. It was abusive, I know that now, it was glaringly obvious, but back then I knew nothing past rose tinted glasses,” she took a breath, “the day I found out I was pregnant was the happiest day of my life. The day he found out was the worst. I survived the beating but the baby didn’t, I- I was too depressed to keep a job and eventually I ended up in my line of work. In the end it saved me. I saw girls, young girls who were exactly like me. I offered them a way to get out, a place to stay. I didn’t make them work obviously but a lot fell into it anyway. The girls here, the people here, they’re like my family, we look out for each other, we’ll always have your back Obito, no matter what.” She finished with a shaky breath but no tears streamed down her face. 

Obito didn’t know if it was because of his body, but he felt like a child, a child that just wanted everything to be okay, to be accepted, to not know that in three days his world could fall apart all over again because as cold as he was to his team, Kami he loved them. His face crumpled and he fell into her side, listening to comforting whispers. 

If you told him a year ago that he’d travel back in time with the Nine Tails Jinchuriki and that the only thing keeping him sane was a prostitute he’d have laughed in your face, but here he was, back in time being held by a prostitute that was his rock. Life is so odd. 

•••

Orochimaru couldn’t pinpoint when exactly his normal changed. It was small things at first, when the thought of Tuesdays didn’t fill him with rage, when he walked into a room and was greeted with cheers instead of books flying at his face. Then it was other things, like how the small sofa in his office was usually taken up by a blonde man flicking through one book or another while Orochimaru worked or the way he never forgot meals anymore because they’d be shoved under his face with a reproachful look. The way the worst of the children, the little demon girl by the name of Kana now instead got upset when he hadn’t visited for awhile. The way comments like “if you’re really a man, why’s your hair so pretty?” had become common place and the way Naruto’s following laugher was the most normal sound in the world. 

In the way he was never alone anymore. Even if Naruto wasn’t there it would be Kana trying to sneak in to braid his hair like he wouldn’t notice. The way eating alone now caused an uncomfortable feeling in his gut even though he hadn’t eaten with anyone before Naruto since Tsunade left. 

He would deny it until his dying day but he missed his team. He missed Jiraya’s stupidity and obnoxious laughter and he missed Tsunade punching him for it. He missed people asking how he was or what he was up to, stupid little comments that he had missed. He still had his sensei of course but he barley had time for his wife and kids, never mind him, and sometimes when it got really bad, he hated him a little for it. He’d planned to join Anbu, a welcome distraction but he got injured. Of course he could of joined after he was better but then Naruto had happened. 

Naruto had quite literally barged into his life, knocking his shopping over. He didn’t know why he stuck around but he did, and he’d never tell the man but he was grateful. The villagers stares were always more bearable when he could instead focus on Naruto blathering to his ear, usually trying to coerce him into buying him ramen. 

Life was easier to bear with Naruto on his side. Of course though, Naruto wasn’t his teammates. Watching Tsunade fall apart after Nawaki and Dan, honestly it scared him. How much death could effect a person, how much it could change them. He never wanted to die. Finding out how to live forever was the problem. 

“Hey!” Naruto shouted at him from his couch, “what’s wrong with you?” He eyed him suspiciously. 

“I’m thinking, you should try it sometime” Orochimaru responded dryly. Naruto bristled and pouted at him. 

“Why are you always so mean to me?” 

“Why are you always so annoying?” 

Naruto spluttered in response, “I am not!” 

“Yes you are.” Both heads turned to the door, surprisingly it wasn’t Orochimaru who had spoken. Kana stood folding her arms, an eyebrow raised but then she smiled. “But I love you anyway Naruto-san.” 

Naruto blinked in surprise but grinned and went over to pick her up. “I have this weird feeling you’re not supposed to be here,” Naruto said amused. 

“He’s correct,” replied a voice from the desk, Orochimaru giving the girl an unimpressed look. She huffed and wiggled out of Naruto’s arms to go over to the man. 

“But it’s so boring, all we do it sit around all day and the others are too afraid of getting in trouble to do anything fun,” at this she pouted and gave him an imploring look to let her stay. 

“I think you should be more afraid of getting in trouble” He deadpanned but sighed, running his hands through his hair. When had this become his life? “Fine. I’m almost finished anyway.” 

Naruto and Kana gave a cheer of victory, making Orochimaru’s lips twitch up involuntarily causing him to scowl. He finished writing up a report and filed everything away, he was more conscious of his desk now. “What do you want?” He directes the question at the girl who grinned in victory. 

“It’s our ultimate mission, many times we have tried, and many times we have failed,” he rolled her eyes at her dramatics, “our mission is no simple one. We must create the most bestest, ultimate pillow fort in all existence!” She cried out with vigour. 

That was how Orochimaru spent the next few hours of his life. Surrounded by brats that cheered when he helped them construct a honesty, rather ugly, pillow fort. If he stuck some pillows together or kept a blanket in place with some chakra, well they didn’t have to know. 

•••

“You’re good with them you know,” commented Naruto rather offhandedly as he watched the kids. At this point they were getting tired and willingly deconstructed their creation in the name of a good nights sleep. Orochimaru scoffed, almost offended. 

“You’re referring to yourself.” 

“Mm nah, sure they like me but we all know you’re the favorite,” he risked a look at the dark haired mans face and let out a bark of laughter at the look on it. He was about to tease but the man started walking towards Kana who was making grabby hands at him. Naruto watched almost fondly as the girl pulled him in for a hug, her eyes heavy with sleep, and at the look of utter bewilderment on Orochimaru’s face. He watched his expression soften even as he told the girl to get her sticky hands off him. The girl didn’t take offence, just giggled and blew him a kiss. The mans eye was twitching at this point and Naruto figured he’d save him. 

“Come on, we haven’t eaten yet, we’ll get ramen, my treat,” Naruto pulled the man out the door after checking all the children were in bed and asleep. 

Orochimaru was immediately suspicious. Naruto never offers to pay and will go through great lengths to get free food, usually at the expense of Orochimaru’s wallet. He felt apprehension claw at him as they got closer to the ramen stand, Naruto was being uncharacteristically quiet. They sat down at the stools, probably the last customers for the day and ordered. When Naruto started playing with his food instead of shoving it down his throat, Orochimaru snapped. 

“What?” Naruto just looked up in confusion so he continued, “just spit out whatever you’re trying to say.” 

Naruto blinked in surprise but finally his face morphed into a smile. A small smile but a smile nonetheless. “You always see right through me,” Naruto hummed, he let out a sigh and a small frown, “I’m leaving.”

This news shouldn’t of bothered Orochimaru. He’d only known this man for a couple of months at the most, and he found him annoying 99% of the time. He should be happy he was going. But the pit in the bottom of his stomach that threatened to swallow him whole was anything but happiness. His throat felt tight and it was like watching his teammates leave all over again. Except it wasn’t, it was worse. When his teammates left it took awhile to truly creep up on him, the loneliness, he was never truly alone before that. He only felt the true weight of their absence long after they left. 

This though, this was so much worse. For the first time in a long time he had someone to do the stupid things he definitely didn’t care about like ask about his day, or like giving him his favorite food because he saw it in the shop and knew he liked it. This time he knows what’s waiting for him when Naruto leaves. His throat felt tight. 

“Oh.” 

Naruto quickly tried to explain. “I’m going to Ame, there’s things- things I need to do. Things I’ve been putting off..” he trailed off searching for words. 

“It’s fine, I didn’t expect you to stay. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Orochimaru cut in. It was anything but fine. “Goodbye then,” he said curtly before standing up. Naruto did say he’ll pay after all. 

“Wait!” Naruto interjected but the man was already walking off leaving Naruto staring at his retreating figure, a tight feeling in his chest.


End file.
